What a wonderful trip to Singapore!

Phill and I spent about 32 days in Singapore in our annual pilgrimage back home. And we had fun!!! We caught up with family and friends, and ate most of the local food that we missed for a year. And it felt good to be on a holiday.

I managed to meet more friends this time than I did in any of my previous trips and was glad for it. I even met up with some of my primary school classmates I hadn't seen in ages! And time just flew when we were chatting. It was so reassuring to see that they hardly changed since primary school - doesn't that mean we hardly age?

With Wiggie, a dear friend who I will remember for volunteering to help me at my wedding, I had very interesting conversations. She was telling me about the wild parties at her apartment block and I was telling her how I feel so tired after work and usually get to bed at about 9.30pm and still feel tired the next day. And Wiggie made me laugh when she said, "dear girl, we're getting old." Are we? ....hahahaha.....I'm still in denial. I'm just telling myself it's the Singapore lifestyle vs the Australia lifestyle.

Phill and I have so many memories of each trip to Singapore that we sometimes mix them up. We recall our dinner at Banana Leaf Restaurant, East Coast hawker Centre, Lau Pa Sat, and this trip, we had Botak Jones at Toa Payoh (upon excellent recommendation by Aunty Jenny) - YUM!

During this trip, we had a chance to meet my brother's girlfriend, Faith. And we like her! She's funny, easy-going, sensible and responsible. And most of all, in Phill's words, she's a very vital asset to our family because she knows all the good eating places in Singapore. She recommended a hawker centre in Bedok and there were heaps of good food!! It was YUMMY!

These are some photos of our trip:

My cousin, May, took Phill and I to Dempsey Hills for a meal. We haven't been there before and it was such a cool and relaxing place - a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. Below was the chocolate cake and ice-cream Phill and I had (cos we had our dinner already) but I could only take one photo cos a waiter came swiftly to say management does not allow photos taken of their meals -- ok.

Meeting my former colleagues from National Arts Council - Christina, me, Celine, Sock Hwang and Jessie.
My brother's girlfriend, Faith, who like us is a foodie too - Yeah!!! But unlike us, she can keep her really slim frame! One of my favourite dishes at the buffet at Merchant Court Hotel - durian! Yum!
Phill enjoying his pepper crabs at Merchant Court Hotel (tho his fave is butter).
Our favourite satay place is Fat Man Satay at Lau Pa Sat.
Changi Prison Chapel Museum - I didn't even knew this museum exists previously until Phill asked to visit it on his first trip to Singapore 10 years ago. The museum was also moved about a few years ago to a new location not far off from its previous location. The previous location was not the chapel's original location though. Its original location is actually in the Changi Prison itself.
A board hung in the chapel area of the museum for visitors to post their messages. I find it very heartbreaking to read the messages from nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, grandchildren of Australian and English servicemen who were prisoners-of-war in Singapore.
A beautiful poem in tribute to the servicemen who were imprisoned in Singapore.
Phill absolutely loves Gary's dog - Sacha! She's gorgeous and we think of her heaps when we're in Australia. We love her friendly and personable nature and she loves to play! I'm sold on miniature schnauzers after Sacha!
Grandma's 82th birthday!!! We had a great time just being together as an extended family!
Our meal at Botak Jones in Toa Payoh! The above was a yummy dish that I can't remember and from the photo below, it's easy to tell that Phill was impressed with both the quality and quantity of his meal. And also, he loves fooling around with the camera - hahaha! My cousin, Zachary, is to the left of the photo. It was good to see Zach since we hardly see him much due to us being in Australia and he is a busy guy too.

Above - Another yummy dish (think it was my dinner) at Botak Jones that I can't remember.

Concerts!

I was really glad to have the opportunity to attend 3 concerts when I was in Singapore. The first was a Jacky Cheung (HongKong singer and actor) concert with my brother, Gary, and his girlfriend, Faith. That concert was brilliant and cos I've never watched him live in concert (can't remember if I've watched him on dvd), I really enjoyed every bit of it. Jacky's attempts at dancing which was pretty good at some spots. But his voice was beautiful - it's unique and singing those familiar songs that span more than 10 years of my life brought back memories and tingles down my spine. He was a consummate and cheeky performer, sharing little titbits of his family life and his kids. I must say one of my favourite songs is the lullaby he wrote for his 2nd daughter. It was simple but very meaningful. I enjoyed this concert very much and was sad to see it end.

I know we're not supposed to take photos during the concert but I managed to sneak a few in and then tucked my camera away after that. Another concert-goer, who was quite stubborn, took many more photos and continued doing so even after he was warned. He was finally escorted out of the concert. I also saw some other audience members with long camera lenses. I think they were there for "work" (to sell those photos on ebay....tsk!).

Faith and Gary at Jacky Cheung concert


The 2nd concert I attended was a Fei Yuqing (an evergreen singer from Taiwan) with my parents. Most of the concert goers were senior citizens and they came in droves and gave him so much support, even though some of the audience looked abit too frail. It was a very nice concert and I was surprised that I knew the tunes of some songs even if I didn't know the title of those songs. Fei Yuqing also told some jokes and imitated some of the stalwarts in the entertainment scene which drew laughter and applause. He was very good and most of all, he looked so good. I enjoyed this concert too, and differently from the Jacky Cheung concert.


The final concert I attended was free because my cousin (Charlotte) got Phill and me tickets!!! Yipppeee! My first memory of listening to Suzanne Vega was when I was in primary school and my cousin, Nicholas, used to pull out the new CDs his sister, Charlotte, bought after returning for holidays from her overseas studies in Paris and USA. And one of those CDs was Suzanne Vega's debut album and her songs, "Luka" and "Tom's Diner", evoked memories I had when I first heard those 2 very famous songs. The concert was fabulous, intimate, and live! I had a chance to hear the back stories to the songs Suzanne wrote too and realised I knew more songs than I initially thought. I knew Caramel was included in the film soundtrack to The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I've heard Solitude Standing, Left of Centre and Marlene On The Wall before and love Small Blue Thing and In Liverpool. After the concert, Phill and I hung out with my cousins and Nicholas' friend, and it was such a fun night. Dinner was great and I had a chance to smoke a a hookah, which I've never done before. Thing was, I didn't know there was tobacco in it (I know, silly me) because there wasn't a strong tobacco smell or taste. It was an interesting experience!